See the elusive girl geek as she acts in local theater! Watch as she writes manuscripts, fanfiction, and anything else that come out of her deranged mind! Gawp as she reviews movies that normal women would run from in terror! GIRL GEEK!
The real standout moments of the episode were Rick's violent rat assault, Danny Trejo as Jarguar:
And Susan Sarandon's Dr. Wong dissecting the situation (spoilers!)
All in all, a great episode, but not one that deserved as much hype as the thought of a man turning himself into a pickle apparently generated in the fandom.
The article give his exact thoughts on what happened, so I won't re-hash. But as someone who talks for a living myself (though just with a normal voice), and performs as a hobby, I can't imagine the terror. I've been upset just over being hoarse, or sick for extended periods.
I don't know if I was just oblivious to the news, or if it wasn't publicized before now: you're all familiar with my up-to-the-minute coverage of pop culture that interests me. In either case, I couldn't be happier that Mr. Paulson is on his way to recovery.
So, my favorite show Stranger Things is gearing up for season two. We've had 2 some awesome teasers and trailers:
There have also been little news tidbits from the cast and the creators. Most recently, the Duffer Brothers gave some info on how they're already working on season 3, and planning the eventual end of the show. They want to go on long enough, leave the audience wanting more, but end when the story is over and not drag it out.
I've been burned before.
The new season doesn't air until nearly Halloween, a time of year jam-packed for me. But I'm already making plans to set the whole day aside for this. Helps that it's a weekend.
In the meanwhile, much like my IT Spot posts, I'll update with any new Stranger Things news as it comes up.
For now, I'm gonna geek over the inclusion of Sean Astin in this season some more.
So, the new MST3K episodes that I kickstarted are finally out. I've only watched the first 4 of 14 total episodes, but I'm enjoying them. Sure, all the old voices are gone, but literally, every single character has been recast or replaced at least one previously.
Time will tell if the new host, Jonah, will measure up to Mike and Joel. I like him, but I don't see him becoming a host the fandom will go to war over, a la Joel vs. Mike.
The movies are the same level of schloch we're accustomed to, including (the only) Danish Kaiju flick...
And a disaster movie starring Rock Hudson and Mia Farrow.
Spoiler alert: it sucks.
They're in color, so that's a nice change. There's also a bunch of guest appearances, which I'm not going to spoil, but are totally worth it.
Frankly, this is at least as good as any of the Rifftrax Presents riffs, and fans of the riffing genera will probably like it. I urge you, if you have netflix, watch some of this great show.
And to whet your appetite, here's a sample of them riffiing the opening of Stranger Things:
Predictably, the internet has gone insane. There are spoilers ahead, BTW. Like, major ones.
There's also new promos, which are fun. Frankly, the episode was good, smart, dark, and filled with the crazy turns that I never see coming. And now I want more.
I also want some of that damned sauce. I'm not alone, BTW; go sign the petition.
Now, we do have months to wait until the next episode (no release date yet, just 'summer'). So just remember the reason why we're all here...
I'm only a few episodes into Stranger Things, and just as I was told, I'm really loving it. Aside from great acting and an intriguing story, it's chock-full of references to pop-culture. Posters of Jaws, The Evil Dead, AND John Carpenter's The Thing? Perfect!
It's nice to have an idea of what's going on without being too confused, or able to call every single thing that's about to happen. I'm looking at you respectively, LOST and Friday the 13th part VI Jason Lives.
It's right in the title!
I've heard season two will have Ghostbusters references.
I've also finished Puella Magi Madoka Magica...
Fuck this thing
Begun the post-Moore Swamp Thing run...
Don't fuck this thing.
And the so-so FNAF; The Silver Eyes.
Spoilers; it's full of teens who sound like they're twenty-five.
Even with my limited free time (AD for 12 Angry Jurors eats up a bit), I'm finally catching up on a lot of books, shows, and movies I've missed out on. I've still got 70+ books to be read, but at least I'm making a dent!
Now, if I could get caught up on my comic books...
I recently stumbled across something called Simpsonwave. It's a sub-genera of punk (apparently) where you distort old footage of The Simpsons and put wavy music over it.
See this for further explanation.
This reminds me of another video that distorts old Simpson's footage, but for another purpose. There is a type of internet horror media called 'Creepy Pasta' It's short horror, mostly written, often using pop culture as the base.The "Dead Bart" story is one of the most widely spread, inspiring a wealth of 'lost episode' stories.
If you don't have time to read it, Dead Bart is an episode description, of, well, Bart getting killed, and the surrealist aftermath. It includes creepy descriptions of the funeral, weird animation, pretty typical of this sort of story.
Someone went to the trouble of re-creating as much of the 'episode' as they could with existing footage, and the story's narration.
Simpsonwave and the Creepypasta have VHS distortion. It's an integral part of the 'authenticity'. For the few generations that grew up when VHS tapes were plentiful, before DVDs came along, we all know what those wavy lines mean. Kids today don't even know what a VHS is from firsthand experience. They won't understand the intrigue of finding an unlabeled tape; is it a Disney movie? Your mom's soaps? Something...dirty?
Let's see Indy snatch a piles of these from a cave.
Maybe it's because VHS tapes aren't easy to transfer to the internet, and are thus harder to share worldwide. You have to have a VHS play, hook it up special to a computer, convert it, all that jazz. There's an air of mystery in the blank black plastic.
That's not to say Simpsonwave or Dead Bart are necessarily good. They're interesting, but I wouldn't choose to listen to Simpsonwave. There are better Creepypastas than Dead Bart. Why pick The Simpsons as the focal point?
Maybe like the VHS tape the old Simpson episodes have an air of mystery. They're weird looking, the voices are off, and they're generally not rerun before season 3. Perfect fodder for 'artists' and trend hangers-on alike.
I mentioned before how I'm trying to get through the backlog of Walking Dead episodes.Yesterday I marathoned four episodes in a row. I sat in my living room, thinking about how sad I would be during a zombie apocalypse, losing friends, family home, and due to one of the B-Plots of the episode, my books.
Then I had a nightmare where some sort of massive earthquake happened, and roving bandits came to take my books.
Not even take; they were going to pay for the books. But many of my collection are from stores long-closed and places I'll never go again. They weren't just taking my books; they were taking my happy memories too.
Incredibly useful image! Hooray!
When I woke up it all seemed a lot sillier than it did in the dream where I begged them not to take my books (or at least to spo cutting up the jackets). Today I'm going to stick to Friends and lighter fare while I clean the house. Too much doom and gloom isn't good for me.
I've read the first 96 issues of The Walking Dead, and I'm currently watching season 3 of the show. The plot varies, but basically follows the same structure. With one noticeable difference:
The characters.
People die in the show and live in the comic, or vice-versa. Assholes become better, the best characters become preachy. Some exist in one medium only. Some characters from the comics are grouped into new individuals. It's confusing.
Most of the changes are for the better and make a lot of sense; both mediums are visual and episodic, but there's still a lot of difference.
The only thing that bothers me about these changes are certain characters who are great in the comics and assholes in the show. Andrea is one of my favorites in the comics: I can barely stand to watch her in the show. And...um...
Okay, it's pretty much just Andrea.
Reeeeeeeeeeayl looking forward to her death. And NO that's not a spoiler, THEY ALL GON' DIE!
Comic's Andrea is so awesome. She was still alive in issue 96, and was kicking ass. I really hope Michonee picks up all the slack. Not that she needs any extra awesome.
SO AWESOME
So, I'll just keep marathoning until she's dead. Wish me luck!
As much as I love Rudolph, there's a lot more to the season than claymation and The Santa Clause. Here are my top five classics from off the snowy path. Happy Friday!
Family Guy's general quality is a solid mediocre, but the 'Road to ____' episodes starring Brian and Stewie are usually the best. This special is no exception: it is a dark, nihilistic take on the holiday, criticizing the greed and general corruption that has overtaken Christmas. Also usual for Family Guy, there's nary a mention of religion. This is purely a secular satire. So if you're in the mood for something brooding and gory, this is the special for you.
From the people who brought us Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, we get this train wreck of a special. The songs are terrible, the plot makes no sense, and it adds nothing to the Pinocchio mythos. This first aired in 1980, and until I spotted it on Youtube, I thought I imagined its existence. Just try and get through all 49 minutes. I dare you.
This special is on this list, as opposed to the first episode of the series 'Simpson's Roasting on an Open Fire', because it's not your classic story of redemption. Bart burns down the tree, ruins the gifts, and covers it up. In any other special when he confesses (and he does, in surprisingly heartfelt moment) the family and town would forgive him. Instead he's violent choked and the family is ostracized by the whole town. Merry Christmas!
A story about a man getting his son a pet for Christmas, and things get out of hand. That could be any one of a dozen classics. But how many of them have murder and a small town getting razed to the ground? Not to mention the WORST Santa story of all time. Fa la la la la, la la la DEATH!
A change in medium necessitates changes in how a story is told. Very few adaptations can follow the source material 100% and retain quality. This is something that is hotly debated on the internet: mostly under the trope "They Changed it, now it Sucks!" I've made that argument myself, many times.
Sometimes following something closely just doesn't work. Case in point: the 1980s BBC Chronicles of Narnia serial. The effects and acting don't help (Eustace, Jill, Puddleglum, and Reepicheep aside). It takes it's plot and lines almost wholesale from the books. And as much as I enjoy the adaption, there are many spots where it is horribly dull.
But you can't beat that music.
This is turned on its ear by the newer movies: the acting and effects are top-notch, while the plot varies so wildly its hardly the same story. I despised the new Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe the first time I saw it. I haven't re-watched it recently, so I can't speak to any modified views.
Where the series caught me was 'Prince Caspian' and 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' both of these add a LOT of new elements (a quest for magic swords on top of a quest for missing lords. WHY?!) but they felt like necessary changes. We explore how the kids feel about coming back to a ruined Narnia where the beings they knew are all dead (with the exception of Jesus). The very serialized feel of Dawn Treader was molded (albeit clumsily) into a confrontation with another incarnation of The White Witch. It was different, but it worked.
Yes, even the music grew on me. I still prefer the BBC though.
The lesson here is simple: change what you have to, but retain the feel. Fans won't forgive every change (and some will forgive none, yours truly included) but we will at least understand why they were done. I'd rather have something half-represent the actual source than something that takes just the name and slaps it onto an unrelated story.
Lyrical theme songs have always been the casual viewer's gateway into
5. Greg the Bunny
"This ain't your Daddy's puppet show." While the song doesn't quite capture the tone of the show, it deftly explains why all these socks are walking around.
4. EVERY cartoon from the 80s and 90s
There's too many great examples to list them all, but here are the creme de la creme.
3. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Oh yes, you knew this was coming. Will Smith has never been so perfect as he is here.
2. Jack of All Trades
This was EMMY NOMINATED. It lost to The West Wing, by the way.
1. Mystery Science Theater 3000
Literally everything you need to know to understand the characters and what the hell is going on in this bizarre-ass show. The trend continued in later seasons, even as the cast and basic story line changed. Way to go MST3K!
